My Life Was All a Lie
by ThatAnimatorGirl
Summary: Christine never liked Halloween, or the Jack o Lantern locket she never seemed to be able to remove. What happens when one Halloween she discovers the source of the holiday and uncovers secrets of her past that might have best been left uncovered?
1. Haunted by Dreams

**_Sorry it took me a bit longer than I anticipated to post this. Hope you all enjoy it though._**

**_Without further ado, I present to you the new and improved My Life was all a Lie._**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Nightmare Before Christmas characters, only Christine.**

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My Life was all a Lie

Chapter 1: Haunted by Dreams

_'Twas a long time ago, quite a few years back,_

_That Christmas was rearranged by a skeleton named Jack._

_He thought that he could spread good holiday cheer,_

_But managed instead to only spread fear._

_He quickly learned his fault and saved things right in time,_

_He even got the girl, things turned out just fine._

_Jacks story was thought done, but a new chapter's made the scene,_

_Though instead of the skeleton man, it tells of a girl named Christine._

It was a particularly warm October day. A slight breeze teased tree branches and created mini cyclones of the fallen autumn leaves. It was almost Halloween, and children everywhere were excited. All, that is, except for one girl. A girl named Christine.

Christine Miller stood on firmly on the sidewalk, her face twisted into somewhat of a grimace. She watched all the kids around her talking excitedly about the next day's festivities. Her eyebrows knitted together and she let out a sigh.

"Why the long face there Chris?" An elbow bumped painfully into her side. Christine's scowl grew deeper and she rubbed the painful spot.

"You know perfectly well why Jordan." She retorted. Jordan rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Miss 'I Hate Halloween. Yay Christmas' is in her depressed funk." She grinned. "Lighten up! It's not even till tomorrow!" Christine glared at her friend.

"I don't HATE Halloween." She explained. "I just prefer other holidays that don't involve people getting scared and stuff."

"Yeah cuz we all know how easily you get scared!" Jordan bumped Christine in the side again. "Scaredy cat!"

"Am not…" Christine mumbled. The line of buses began to arrive in the parking lot. "There's my bus. See you tomorrow then." She started to run off to the safety of the yellow vehicle.

"If you hate Halloween so much, WHY DO YOU ALWAYS WEAR THAT WEIRD PUMPKIN LOCKET THEN? HUH?" Jordan yelled out as Christine escaped. As

she hopped into her seat, Christine fingered the pendant around her neck. It was a small golden heart locket shaped to look like an eerily grinning

jack-o-lantern. It was true, Christine hated the insignificant piece of jewelry, but she couldn't tell her friend that. For some reason, Christine never

had the heart to take it off.

Christine hopped off the bus to a myriad of waves and "goodbyes" from friends. She smiled briefly and gave a slight wave back, before turning and

heading down the street. She dragged her feet on the pavement, scuffing up her already worn out converses. At an average age of sixteen,

Christine was very much a typical girl. Slightly taller than most and wiry thin with large dark eyes and pouting lips. The only thing that set her apart

from the crowd was the abnormal streak of pure white in her obsidian black hair. It was hard to explain to most people that it was totally natural,

and she wasn't trying to be a rebel. The strange jack-o-lantern locket completed her slightly more than average appearance. She lived a normal life in

a normal suburban home with mostly normal parents. Well…normal when they wanted to be. Christine sighed as she thought about the day to come,

and wistfully thought of the holiday only two months away. Christmas had to be Christine's favorite holiday. She wasn't sure why, mostly just

because of the feeling she acquired around the time. Not to mention the fact that nobody tried to scare her at every turn. Christine was a regular

paranoia, and hated things jumping out at her. Unfortunately, it seemed everybody she came in contact with knew this little fact, and they were

always trying to scare her. She hated it. Speaking of scary, a cold feeling of dread washed over Christine and she knew what she was coming close

to. Looking up, she saw the dark forest that was, unfortunately, right between her bus stop and her house. She had no clue why, but walking by

that forest always seemed to have a strange pull on her, and she didn't like it. It felt of fear and foreboding. Picking up her pace, she lurched past

the dark woods at a fast walk. As always, on the edge of her mind she could pick up the strange tune that accompanied the dark feeling of the woods.

_"Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange?"_

Christine covered her ears with her hands and yelled loudly,

"I CANT HEAR YOU! YOU'RE NOT REAL!" She broke into a run and didn't stop until she reached the safety of her home. Even then, her heart wouldn't stop racing. Would she be cursed with this haunting feeling all her life? 'And another thing…why does this locket always glow whenever I pass those woods?' she wondered to herself, fingering the trinket that pulsed with a fading, glowing orange light.

_Christine could barely see the figures that surrounded her. They were all mysterious shadows, moving around her. And they were…cooing. _

_"What a HORRIBLY adorable baby!" _

_"Yes she's simply TERRIFYING!" _

_It was all rather strange to be surrounded by so many figures saying such strange things. Two figures stood out in particular. One was tall and thin as a rake with a round, seemingly bald head. The other was about a head or two shorter and had long hair and more curves, suggesting it was female. They stood apart from the surrounding crowd, holding hands but not saying much. Christine could feel something radiating from them, pride most likely, and a strong feeling of…love. One of the figures turned towards the couple. _

_"Will she be following the family business?" It asked in an annoyingly grating voice._

_"Yes, most likely." The taller figure answered in a surprisingly deep baritone. "I can already see the promise in her."_

_"Of course, she has your genes after all dear!" The female cut in. She had a high, fluty voice. "Why I have a feeling she'll be the scariest of them all!" _

_"All the more reason for me to SNATCH HER UP!" cried a voice. There was a thud, and the sound of breaking glass. Christine suddenly felt like she was being swiftly lifted up high. There were gasps all around the room._

_"YOU? But you're supposed to be dead!" She heard the tall man say. _

_"Me? I'm never dead!" Christine's captor laughed boisterously. "As long as there's fear in the hearts of children and minions to stitch me back up, ole Oogie Boogie'll never be gone!" _

_"Put my daughter down NOW!" The man yelled. The room seemed to whirl around her, and suddenly she was flying through the air. _

_"MY BABY!" Christine heard the woman scream. Just as gravity began to kick in, she felt a pair of arms catch her securely and hand her off. _

_"Hurry now! Get her out of here!" Christine was jostled back and forth as if the person holding her was running. _

_"RUN! GET HER SOMEPLACE SAFE!" Was the last thing Christine heard of the man, before everything went black._

Christine bolted up in her bed, breathing heavily. She could feel a cold sweat trickling down her neck. She quickly reached over and flipped on her

bedside light. The locket was burning against her chest, and she covered it with her hand as she desperately tried to get the beating of her heart

under control. These dreams weren't uncommon, she had been having them more frequently lately and every time she woke up the locket was even

hotter than the last. Who were those strange people in her dreams? The only things she could ever make out were shadows of course, but one

name always stuck out; Oogie Boogie. It sounded like something out of a horror story…the Boogie Man or something. The dreams happened too

frequently to be coincidental, and she was starting to get worried. And what was the deal with the locket too? Christine fingered the clasp and slowly

opened the small heart-shaped pumpkin. She took a deep breath and slowly looked down. Inside were the same things she always saw. On the right side was a small inscription that read:

_"May your heart always believe_

_In the spirit of Hallow's Eve."_

That wasn't the part that scared her though. On the left side of the necklace was a mirror. Only, it wasn't an ordinary mirror. Every time Christine

looked into its tiny facet, she saw a monster. It was her reflection, but a horribly twisted one. Her skin was blue and there were stitches all over her

face. Her stitched mouth was set in a lopsided frown and her large eyes were larger still and framed by strange eyelashes that looked as if they

were made of string. The only thing that remained of her regular appearance was her black and white hair, but even that looked somewhat messy

and eerie. Christine had asked others look into the locket, but they only ever saw their regular appearance. So why…why was it only her? Why was

she plagued by nightmarish dreams and strange, haunting lockets? And why did she always have that foreboding feeling in the back of her mind that something in her life was all a lie?

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_**Please review. It would make me very happy…**_


	2. The Door

_**Oh….hello. **_

_**I really…truly….sincerely apologize for the lack of updating on this thing. Seriously…it was bad on my part. I have no excuse really…well maybe…starting college and all. On the other hand it was mostly laziness.**_

–_**Shrugs-**_

_**Well…here's the second chapter I promised like…a year ago. **_

**Disclaimer: I don't own TNBC…just Christine.**

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My Life was all a Lie

Chapter 2: The Door

Christine stared at Jordan, unsure whether or not she had heard her friend right.

"Excuse me…but you want me to do…what exactly?"

Jordan sighed. "You heard me. We're going Trick or Treating, as a group, and we want you to come along." She shook her head. "Honestly what's so hard to believe about that?"

"Well for one thing…" Christine crossed her arms. "…Usually you all go to a haunted house or something stupid like that. And you try to drag me along." She pointed an accusing finger. "How do I know you're not trying to trick me into coming along so you can scare me to death and laugh while I scream?" Jordan rolled her eyes.

"Honestly Chris…why are you such a stick in the mud? You are thinking into this way too much." She smiled at her friend. "What's wrong with getting the gang together and doing something fun on Halloween? Getting candy, laughing….having fun like we used to when we were kids?"

"Maybe because it always ends with me getting scared to death…" Christine grumbled under her breath. Sighing she looked at her friend, who stared back with a pleading, innocent face. "Alright, ALRIGHT." she gave in. "I'll go, but you better not have anything up that sneaky sleeve of yours!" Jordan squealed and grabbed the dark haired girl in a death grip.

"Thank you thank you THANK YOU!" she screamed. "You won't regret it! We're going to have a blast!" The hyperactive blonde released her friend and ran to the waiting buses. "We'll be by at dusk so be ready!" She called waving. Christine sighed and turned to shuffle to her bus.

"Why does she always have to use the puppy dog eyes? They get me every time. Argh…"

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Christine stood in front of her closet, eyeing the meager pickings she had to scrape together a last minute Halloween costume.

"It's too bad people don't give you candy if you don't wear a costume." She sighed, fingers brushing over a pair of lacy leggings. "I don't have anything that could account for a costume." She pulled out an old black and white polka dot dress and held it up to her skinny figure. "This just isn't working!" Back went the dress and the search continued. She had almost given up until she came to the back of the rack. There on a lonely hanger was the dress she wore to her cousin's wedding. It was made of a black stretchy material with a lacy ruffled skirt and a satin ribbon around the middle. She pulled it out and held it up. Paired with a pair of her ballet flats it wouldn't look so bad. "It'll have to do, Jordan will be here any minute." She fussed, pulling the dress over her head and tying the ribbons of the flats around her calves. "At least it'll work with the stupid locket." Grimacing, she fingered the trinket around her neck. No sooner had she put on a touch of dark makeup did the doorbell ring. Christine dashed to the door and pulled it open. Jordan and her groupies greeted her.

"Hey girly!" Jordan cried, pulling the girl into a bone crushing hug. "You ready for a night of crazy awesomeness?" Christine put on a fake smile.

"As ready as I'll ever be!" Grabbing her black messenger bag and slinging it over her shoulder, she followed the chattering group down the sidewalk. As she quietly dragged her feet, she felt that same nagging feeling in the back of her mind that something was going to go wrong tonight. Then again, when did anything ever go right for her when it had to do with Halloween?

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Admittedly, Christine found herself having fun. She laughed and joked with her friends. They traded candy and teased the younger children. It was almost ten and she thought that for once, she might have a reasonable Halloween. It was then that they came across the woods. Jordan was telling an extremely funny joke and Christine was too engrossed to realize where she was headed until she began to feel the familiar chills. She stopped in her tracks as the hairs stood up on the back of her neck. Once again voices whispered on the edge of her mind.

"…_wouldn't you like to see something strange? Come with us and you will see…"_

Christine clapped her hands over her ears in horror and bolted ahead of the group out of earshot of the terrible voices. She could make out the startled gasps of the group behind her and as she stopped far away from the terrible forest, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Christine? Chris? What's the matter girly?" It was Jordan. The blonde stared into the dark orbs of her frightened friend. "Why did you run? What's up with you?"

"I-i-i-it's….it's those w-w-w-woods." Christine stuttered. "They…they're just so…s-s-s-scary!" There was a burst of laughter behind them. The rest of the group had caught up.

"What's so scary about a stupid forest?" One of the girls scoffed. It was the biggest of the group, a tough girl named Matilda. She was shaking her head. "Honestly Christine, I knew you were a scaredy cat but this is ridiculous! What could possibly scare you so much about just walking by a group of trees?" She laughed again. Christine stared at the laughing girl defiantly.

"You don't understand." She protested. "There's just this…this presence that I feel every time I walk by. It's like the most terrifying creature is about to jump out and rip my head off!" She shuddered. "Not to mention the…the song." Matilda turned and circled her finger around her ear in the universal "that girl is off her rocker" motion. "I'm not crazy!" Christine yelled, getting angrier by the minute.

"We know you're not crazy Chris." Jordan laid a reassuring hand on her friends shoulder. "It's ok if you're a scaredy cat, we all understand." Christine wrenched her body away from her friend.

"I am NOT a scaredy cat either!" She protested.

"Well if you're not a scaredy cat then prove it!" Matilda sneered. "Go into those woods! Stay for at least a few minutes. Then we won't tease you anymore. Promise." The defiance left Christine and she swallowed.

"I…I don't know if I can…" she stammered.

"Chicken!" Matilda teased. Christine turned red and turned to face her fears. The darkness seemed to reach out to her.

"O-ok…" she breathed and took a step forward. As she staggered towards the source of all her terrors, she could feel the air around her begin to compress and it seemed as though the night was going to collapse upon her. She stopped on the edge of the tree line and stared up at the leafy foliage, gulping. Was she really doing this? _Could_ she do this? Placing a shaky foot forward, she began her trek into her nightmare.

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Christine thought she was going to die. All around her were snatching branches and strange noises. She jumped at every rustle, every screech. How long had it been? Was it more than a minute? The dark haired girl didn't know if she could take much more of this. Suddenly she heard a loud snap behind her. Spinning around she saw a dark figure spring from behind a tree straight at her. She imagined claws tearing through her clothes into her flesh, teeth biting down, her torn body lying among the leaf covered ground. She screamed an inhuman scream and backpedaled, only to trip over her own feet and collapse onto the ground. Cowering in terror, she shielded her face and waited to feel the pierce of fangs. They never came. Instead the terrified girl heard what she'd heard every year all her life.

Laughter.

Cruel laughter.

Cruel laugher at her expense.

Unshielding her face, the frightened teen looked up into the face of her tormenters. The group of her so called "friends" stood laughing their hearts out at the girl they had just scared to death. Near the back of the group stood Jordan, a small but hesitant smile on her face. Christine's face broke out into a raged scowl. She stood up and stomped the ground.

"Who do you all think you are?" She screamed. "Why is this so funny to you? Why do you do this EVERY YEAR?"

"Because it's freaking funny." Matilda choked, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye and breaking down into giggles all over again. Waves of hurt and raw anger washed over Christine like a raging tide. She stomped over to Jordan.

"Does this make you happy?" She growled angrily to her friend. "Are you glad to see me like this?" Jordan looked unsure. She could tell that they had gone too far this time.

"I'm sorry Chris…" she shrugged. The dark haired girl shook her head angrily.

"Sorry doesn't cut it this time." She whipped around and pushed past the group. Stumbling in a blind rage, she unknowingly began to head deeper into the woods. Jordan looked after her friend with tears brimming.

"I'm so sorry…"

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Angry tears sprung up in her dark eyes as Christine continued to push her way deeper into the dark forest.

"Stupid Matilda. Stupid Jordan. Stupid Halloween." She croaked ducking under a branch. "Why can't it all just go away and leave me alone?" She stopped and wiped the tears away with the back of her arm. Something hot pressed against the flesh. She reached down and held up the pumpkin locket, which was pulsing with a faint, glowing light. Her face crumpled as another wave of angry tears pressed forth. "Stupid locket." She once again tried to pry the accursed trinket from her neck, only to have another failure. "Why won't it come OFF?" She screamed falling to her knees, wrestling with the glowing piece of metal. Giving up she slumped to the ground and lay there among the dirt and twigs, gasping on the flood of tears.

"…_Come with us and you will see…" _

Christine looked up with red, tearstained eyes. Just when she needed them the least, the voices were back, stronger than ever. She could feel a tugging on the back of her mind that accompanied the eerie tune. Christine wobbled to her feet, ready to bolt in the other direction. All of the sudden, she had a burst of defiance.

"You know what…screw my fear." She growled. The dark haired girl was tired of running and being scared all her life. She was closer than she'd ever been to finding out the source of her nightmares. For once, it didn't matter that she was terrified. For once, she wanted to know more. She took a shaky step forward and slowly began to trudge in the direction of the song.

"_Wouldn't you like to see something strange?"_

Up ahead, Christine observed a strange sight. Squinting, she could make out what seemed to be a strange circle of large trees. Swallowing her terror, she stepped into the ring. The sight that greeted her was both strange and amazing. On each of the doors in the circle was a painting. She stood in the center of the clearing and turned her body round and round to see them all. An egg, a turkey, a Christmas tree. They were all holidays, she realized with a start. As she rounded on the last of the pictures, her breath hitched in her throat. On the last tree of the circle was an eerily grinning jack o lantern that looked strangely familiar. Gasping in horrible realization, the girl looked down at her locket; an exact replica of the door design. Questions buzzed in her head like angry hornets.

_Why were the drawings here? _

_Who made them? _

_Why did one look like her jewelry? _

Unconsciously, Christine began to inch towards the terrifying painting. She stretched her hand out to touch the rough surface of the canvas. Resting her hand on the orange surface, a chill swept through her body and she shivered. On further inspection, she realized that the nose of the jack o lantern protruded from the rest of the design. Hesitantly, she grasped the wooden surface and twisted. The painting unhinged like a door. Christine's heartbeat sped to marathon pace as she slowly swung the jack o lantern door open. Cautiously, she peered into the depths of the strange tree.

Nothing.

Nothing but an endless, empty void of darkness.

She breathed a sigh and observed the hole. It would be a long fall if one happened to tumble into there, she thought with a grimace. With a sudden twinge of disappointment, Christine turned away from the hole.

"_Come with us and you will see, this our town of HALLOWEEN!" _

A large gust of wind blew from behind the girl and she screamed in shock. Autumn leaves swirled around her figure and tossed her hair back. She threw her arms up in an attempt to block the gale, but she felt her feet sliding out from underneath her. With an earsplitting shriek, the dark haired youth was thrown back through the hole in the tree and into the endless void beyond. As she fell, twisting and turning, she could vaguely hear the satisfied 'click' of the jack o lantern door behind. There was a flash of orange light and Christine knew no more.

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Hope that makes up for the long wait. Please review!


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